The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Agriculture greenhouse gas emissions down, households’ up in latest stats

NZ Herald
23 Jul, 2024 12:58 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

New Zealand's emissions rose for the year to March but were down in the latest quarter, with agriculture posting the largest decrease.

New Zealand's emissions rose for the year to March but were down in the latest quarter, with agriculture posting the largest decrease.

The agriculture sector can take a bow with New Zealand’s largest quarterly fall in total greenhouse gas emissions in 14 years.

Statistics NZ said seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions for industries and households fell 2.7% in the March 2024 quarter, the largest quarterly decrease since March 2010, excluding pandemic years.

The decrease, equivalent to 541 kilotonnes (kt), was mainly due to lower agriculture, forestry and fishing emissions, said environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley.

This sector’s emissions fell by 154 kt or 1.4% in the quarter.

Its emissions were now down 8.1% from their peak in March 2019, Oakley said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The sector also showed the largest annual decrease in the year to March, largely due to agriculture. Annual emissions were down 6% or 2776 kt from their peak in the March 2014 year.

Manufacturing had the second-largest decrease in emissions in the March 2024 quarter, falling 88 kt or 4%. This quarter was the third time in a row that emissions fell for this sector, Oakley said.

The largest increase in emissions in the March quarter came from the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry, up 126kt or 7.7%.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This was attributed to an increase in natural gas used for electricity generation and followed an 18% decrease in emissions from the industry in the previous quarter, Oakley said.

Total household emissions rose 0.6% or 12kt, largely driven by heating and cooling emissions, up 5.7% or 10kt.

Household transport emissions were up 0.1% or 3kt while emissions from other household sources fell 0.5% or 0.3kt.

In the year ended March this year, greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.5% or 396kt. The most significant contributors were the transport, postal and warehousing industry and the electricity, gas, water and waste services sectors.

Annual emissions from the transport, postal and warehousing industry increased 20% or 1116kt on the previous March year but remained 6% or 422kt below the peak of 7011kt in the March 2019 year.

Emissions from the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry were up 3.4% or 227kt in the year ended March.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

Premium
The Country

'That's what a true blue doco is': Why Lisa Burd's new film comes with a content warning

13 Jun 10:00 PM
Opinion

Forestry report: Export log prices provide winter relief – Marcus Musson

13 Jun 05:01 PM
The Country

'Game changer': Tail hair test could boost cattle efficiency

13 Jun 05:00 PM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Premium
'That's what a true blue doco is': Why Lisa Burd's new film comes with a content warning

'That's what a true blue doco is': Why Lisa Burd's new film comes with a content warning

13 Jun 10:00 PM

A boots and all tribute to the women saving rugby.

Forestry report: Export log prices provide winter relief – Marcus Musson

Forestry report: Export log prices provide winter relief – Marcus Musson

13 Jun 05:01 PM
'Game changer': Tail hair test could boost cattle efficiency

'Game changer': Tail hair test could boost cattle efficiency

13 Jun 05:00 PM
Upokongaro: Where herons roost and gin wins gold

Upokongaro: Where herons roost and gin wins gold

13 Jun 05:00 PM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP